Improvement in smut-mills



'R. & J. H. REDFIELD.

I Smut Mill. No. 80,306. :Patented July zawsss.

N.PETER$, PHOTO-UTHOGRAPHER. WASHINGTON. D. c,

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L etters'Patent No. 80,306, dated July 28, 1868.

IMPROVEMENT IN SMUT-MILLS.

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To ALL WHOM T MAY CONGERN:

Be it known that we, RICHARD REDFIELD and JAMES H. REDFIELD, of Salem, in the county of Washington, andState of Indiana, have inyented'certain new and useful Improvements on Grain-Cleaners; and we do hereby declare that the following is .a full, clear, and exactdescription thereof, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which Figurcl is a longitudinal section, taken in a vertical plane through the centre of the improved machine.

Figure 2 is a transverse section, taken through the machine in the vertical plane indicated by red line :2: m.

Figure 3 is an external view of the spirally-slotted cylinder of the smut-mill.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

This invention relates to improvements on certain parts of the machine for cleaning grain, for which Letters Patent were granted toRICHARD REDFIELD on the twenty-seventh day of February, 1866.

In the machine described in said Letters Patent, the grain is conducted from a separator into a smut-mill at one end of the'cylindrical case thereof, where it is subjected to strong blasts of air at the same time that it receives a violent beating and stirring, thereby breaking up the light smut-balls, and separating the dust, 820., from the pure grain. The difficulty with this smut-mill is that the grain isnot moved rapidly enough through the cylindrical case from the receiving-end tothe discharging-end thereof.

The object of our invention is to provide for compelling the grain to pass rapidly from one end to the other of the smut-mill case, duFing the cleaning operation, by constructing the cylindrical shell or case, which encloses a rotary spiked cylinder with oblong slots through it, which slots are arranged in spiral lines extending 7 from the receiving-end of the shell to its discharging, and otherwise so made as to direct the grain thrown against the shell toward its discharging end at the same time that the dust and foreign substances are allowed to escape, as will be hereinafter explained.

The invention further consists in enclosing the said perforated shell within a dust-box or case communieating with the fan-case, and also with a discharge-suction spout; said dust-box beingprovided with a trap for arresting the heavier foreign substances, from which trap such substances will be automatically discharged at suitabletimes, as will be hereinafter explained.

To enable others skilled in the art to understand our invention, we will describe its construction and operation.

In order that our invention and improvement may be fully understood, wewill describe those parts of the machine of RICHARD REDFIELD, above referred to, which we employ in carrying out our invention.

The grain, mixed with foreign substances, is pouredinto thehopper A at the top ofithe machine, and passes down in a thin stream through the short limb B of the suction-spout 13, upon an inclined surface, (1. This surface d is surrounded on four vertical sides by an open box, d, that is constructed upon the upper end of an inclined trough, G, and upon the bottom of this trough the grain is delivered'in a'thin stream. The trough C is suspended, by means of arms e e, from a horizontal longitudinally-arranged rod, (2', and the trough receives a laterally-oscillating motion from an eccentric, p, on a short shaft, which receives motion from a main shaft, G, through suitable'conimunications. The top, bottom, and sides of this trough or trunk C are closed except at three points, at which are oblong slots,f, for the-discharge of the grain, and a central opening,f, through the top of the trunk for the escape of the trash through a branch, B, of the suction-spout B, as shown 'in fig. The bottom board of the trunk C is partially or wholly covered with a wire cloth, so that it will present a rough surface and prevent the grain and trash from moving toofrecly over it from side to side, and cause a partial separation of the sound grain from the lighter substances, as the whole moves doivnward toward the dischargeopeningsff. The sound grain wilhbe tossed toward the sides of the trunk, and, on account of its superior gravity, the lighter substances will arrange themselves on top of the grain, and in the centre of the bottom of the trunk. Directly beneath the suction-spout Ban elevation, g, is formed upon the bottom of the trunk C, for the purpose of bringing the foreign substances, mixed with the grain, and also those which are separated from the grain, in close proximity to the mouth of said suction-spout, as they are tossed back and forth by the motion of the trunk. By this arrangement the foreign substances will be drawn through the suction-spout B into the vertical limb of the spout B,- and discharged at its lower end through the openings thereat.

The roughened bottom of the trunk U need not extend entirely to the upper end thereof, as it is desirable to leave a smooth surface beneath the discharge-opening of the hopper-box d for the grain to fall upon.

The openingsf serve not only to allow the grain to escape from the trunk C, but they also serve as airpassages, the air rushing through them carrying the foreignsubstanees upward through the suction-spout branch B into the main branch, as indicated by the arrows in fig. 1. The suction-spout B is secured to and oscillates with the inclined trunk C, and its upper end should be so attached to the vertical limb 0f the spout B that air will not enter at the joint in any considerable quantity: The vertical discharging-limb of the spout B is partially subdivided by a partition S", which extends down near the opening leading into the fan-case J.

This partition is designed to effect a separation of the substances escaping from the first separation at A, 13,and those escaping from the inclined spout B. The two V-shaped receptacles at the bottom of the spout B will receive said substances separately, and allow of their escape from the machine at suitable times.

After the grain leaves the trunk or spout C, it falls into a spout, D, and is conducted downward and backward, and discharged into a hopper, P, which conveys the grain into the cleaning-mill.

This will consist of a cylindrical case, E, having a rotary cylindrical beater, F, arranged within it upon the main driving-shaft G. The cylinder Eis perforated with oblong holes, 3 3 which are arranged in spiral lines running from one end to the other of the cylinder.

The ends of this perforated cylinder are closed, and the grain is allowed to escape from'it through an opening, T, which is below the drum F, at the opposite end of the case E, to that end into which the grain is received into this drum, as shown in fig. 1. 7

From this opening T'the grain enters an inclined spout, T and thence. escapes into and from a vertical spout, T which communicates with the space outside of the cylinder.E, which is enclosed by the semi-cylindrical cap H and double-inclined receiver H. v, Y

The space which is thus enclosed around the cylinder E,-communicates directly with the fan-ease J through an opening, J so that air will rush into the discharge-spout T at its lower end, and circulate through and around theeylinder E, and escape into the fan-case, carrying withit all light matters which are separated from the grain. I I

The substances which escape through the oblong perforations g] y of cylinder E, and which are not light enough to be carried off by the blast, will fall down into the receiverH, and atsuitable times will escape from this receiver through the opening closed by the valve V. V p

This valve is hinged pr otherwise attached, so that, when the machine is in operation, the pressure of air upon its outer surface will keep it closed, and when the fan ceases, the valve will open and allow the trash to escape.

The cylindrical drum or rubber F is thickly studded with spikes,j, which will beat the grain and throw it oii against the cylindrical shell, where it meets with the oblique or spirally-arranged slots 3/3 which will compel the grain to move toward the discharging-end of the cylinder, while it is rapidly beaten and scoured by the spikes. By thus perforating the eylindricalshell E, it will be seen that the grain will be regularlymoved from one end to the other of it, and prevented from clogging or circulating at any one point more than another.

The cylindrical shell E may be constructed of two semi-cylindrical sections, provided with half-circular heads, suitably bolted to their respective sections. I

Thetwo sections may be confined together, and secured in their places around the beaterF, in any suitable manner. v

The fan J and cylindrical. beater F are both applied upon the shaft G, and the fan-case J communicates with the long vertical limb of the spout B at one end, and with the dust box H at the other end, so that air, with the dust and light substances, is drawn through the said parts, and discharged through the spout of the fan-case.

Having described our invention, what we claim as new, and .desire to secure by Letters Patent, is'

1. The arrangement of the horizontal fan J, blast-spout B 13", branch-spout B, partition S, vibratingtrough G g, and horizontal spirally-slbtted case E3 and horizontal beater F'j, substantially as and for the purpose described. V 2. The relative arrangement of the blast-spoutB 13 B S, hopper A, box d d, vibrating roughenedsurfaced troughC, openings ff, spout D, hopper P, horizontal case E y, horizontal beater F j, passage T, inclined spout T, vertical spout T ,cap H, and inclined receiver H, substantially as described. I RICHARD REDFIELD,

I JAMES H. REDFIELD. Witnesses Jonu Coouaaw,

WILLr-UI COMES. 

